Advantages: - The materials of the vest and the plate/arms are of high quality. - It seems that the vest can be adjusted for a good fit. - Good lumbar support from the back pad. - The arm works very well and moves very smoothly - The adjustment knobs are easy to adjust. Cons: - Almost impossible to replace the springs. It cannot be done by 1 person and still takes at least 20-30 minutes. This is a serious design flaw that should be fixed or the device will become unusable if you don't have an assistant. 1 small plastic washer is missing but that doesn't seem to affect performance. The padding material is very rough and rubs the skin around the neck if you don't wear a collared shirt.